Reality is Fantasy
by Purplegoldfish
Summary: This short vignette explores what might have happened right after Goliath and Elisa's conversation in comic #7, "The Rock."


Hey, all. This is my first "Gargoyles" fanfiction, just a short little vignette about my favorite interspecies couple. I'm not making any money off of this, it's just for fun. As we all know "Gargoyles" and all related insignia belong to Disney and Greg Weisman. I'd love to get some feedback too, my email is . Enjoy!

Note: This takes place immediately after Goliath and Elisa's reunion scene in issue #7 of the Gargoyles comic, So spoilers within.

**Reality is Fantasy  
**

**By Sarah E. AKA Purplegoldfish**

Real life never happens the way it does in fairy tales. At least, that's what Elisa Maza always believed while growing up in her normal little corner of the world.

Her mother had always had a penchant for story telling. Almost every night when she was a child, Diane would regale her with stories of magical places and fantastic creatures of the imagination.

She wouldn't just tell her the tales of African legend, though that was her ancestry and specialty; she wanted Elisa to be well rounded and understanding of all cultures. She read her stories about the Egyptian and Roman Gods and Goddesses, about Native American creatures of legend, ancient heroes of Asia, the Middle East, and Europe, even tales of possible life beyond the stars.

Elisa loved listening to her mother's tales. Even after announcing that she was "too old for bedtime stories," she would frequently sneak up to the doorways of her brother and sister's rooms to revisit some of her old favorites.

Of course, Elisa could always separate the fact from the fiction; the reality from the fantasy. Like her father, she was a practical person. She didn't need to live in a fantasy anyway. Being a cop, her life would never be boring, she'd wagered.

Sure, she had seen some things on the New York City streets that would make an encounter with a fifty-foot spider seem like child's play. Yet, these things always had a basis in the reality that she had come to know. But, in just a few short years the line between fantasy and reality had been significantly blurred.

Real Life is nothing like the stories her mother used to tell her, she would frequently try to reason with herself.

Why then, did the prospect of the "normal life" she had always expected to lead seem like some sort of far-off fantasy realm?

Why then, did she currently find herself lifted up into a lip-lock with a being one would expect to find right out of a gothic fantasy novel?

*********************************

"Jalapeña**.**"

Elisa's feet once again touched the cobblestones, and her eyes locked with Goliath's.

'_What just happened?_'

Goliath's face suddenly turned a very interesting shade of purple. "Elisa, I uh…I'm sorry, that was presumptuous of me…"

Her hand gently went to cover his mouth, effectively shutting him up. "No it wasn't," she said simply. Rising up on her tiptoes, she put her arms around his neck, pulling his head and lips to her own as she buried her hands in his thick hair.

Goliath made an interesting sound; something between a human's contented sigh and a jungle cat's growl. Elisa shivered delectably, emitting a sighing moan of her own. She felt a sudden warmth surrounding her; his wings. She felt warm all over, despite the chill of the cool November air.

His hands started roaming of their own volition over the contours of her clothed body, slowly moving them up the sides of her torso and across the undersides of her breasts. He removed his hands abruptly then, to her slight disappointment. Apparently he just came to the realization of what he was doing. They slowly disengaged from each other a moment later.

Goliath had a slightly embarrassed look upon his face, feeling as though he had lacked too much control and crossed unspoken boundaries. Elisa simply gave him a reassuring and somewhat sultry smile that spoke of forgiveness and satisfaction. Goliath got the message, suddenly finding himself unable to keep a silly grin off his face. His voice was barely above a whisper as he gently lifted her chin with his thumb and index talon.

"So…you truly wish to pursue a …relationship with me?"

To his surprise, Elisa silently slipped out of his embrace and walked over to the Eastern parapet. Her back to Goliath, she looked out over the side for a few moments. She suddenly had the crazy thought that somewhere, beyond the vast sea of stars, there were unknown entities looking down on her, using her and Goliath as playing pieces in some cosmic game; a game both cruel and wonderful.

A ridiculous image came into her head then, that of Xanatos and Fox playing a game of chess upon a solid fluffy cloud; except Xanatos was not dressed in his usual impeccable business attire, but in the same robes that were adorned by Oberon. Across from him, Fox was the spitting image of Titania. Of the chess board pieces, Elisa recognized through her mind's eye the miniature image of herself; of Goliath and the Clan. Demona and the Pack were among the pieces as well, all intricately carved with incredible detail.

She didn't know whether to laugh or scream in horror at the bizarre image.

Goliath stood silently watching her, his tail twitching anxiously. He was preparing for the worst; the words he had been dreading he might hear from her for the past few nights. He wouldn't blame her, of course. From what he knew of modern-day humans it was almost a wonder that Elisa wanted anything to do with him at all after all that has happened.

Still, that kiss she had just bestowed upon him seemed so promising…unless, the little voice of doubt nagged at his mind, it was her way of saying 'Goodbye'. Argh! She was so confusing sometimes!

Sensing Goliath's anxiety, Elisa turned to face him.

"Yeah, Goliath," she began quietly, "I want to have a relationship with you. Honestly, I don't think I have a choice."

Goliath cocked a brow, but urged her to continue.

"I mean," she smiled nervously, "the whole time I was with Morgan on Halloween…and with Jason…" Both Goliath and Elisa averted their eyes when she uttered the latter name. "All I could think about was you; how you must feel, how I was betraying you."

Her eyes met his once again. "After the Saint Damien's incident, I visited Jason in the hospital, and I told him the truth; that you would always come first before anyone else in my heart. I thought I had fully accepted that, but I guess…" she sighed and shook her head, pausing for a moment to gather her words.

"It wouldn't be fair, would it?" She continued almost as if talking to herself. "Any man I would end up with could never have all my love; they would always take second place. Nice guys, like Morgan, don't deserve that." She turned to meet his gaze. "And neither do you. I can't have it both ways. No matter what I do, I'm stuck with you," she said teasingly, then sobered. "And I'm sorry for hurting you."

Goliath delicately placed a talon over her lips, mimicking her earlier action. "No need to apologize," he smiled gently. "We are not the most…practical coupling. You got scared, it's perfectly understandable."

"Although," he gave her a mock scowl, "You could have chosen a more romantic way to answer my question."

Elisa saw the teasing glint in Goliath's eyes, and the upward twitch of the corners of his mouth. She burst out laughing, and threw her arms around his neck. Goliath laughed too, returning the embrace. He hadn't felt this happy in a long time. He buried his face in her hair, and softly uttered the endearment his heart had yearned to bestow upon her for so long:

"My Love."

'_Well,_' Elisa mused to herself, '_maybe I don't have the slightest clue about the workings of the world. And maybe reality and fantasy are just two sides of the same coin.'_

'_But I do know one thing for sure, I've found my Prince Charming.'_

And somewhere beyond the Universes, two familiar looking chess pieces merged together to became one, while a disembodied voice intoned to an unseen partner, "_Care to play again_?"

**The End**

Thanks for reading!


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